In ‘Aladdin,’ Will Smith is back in business, and he’s big and blue

By Ed Symkus, Correspondent

Wednesday

May 22, 2019 at 4:23 PMMay 22, 2019 at 4:23 PM

Will Smith jumped into show business more than 30 years ago, first finding success as a hip-hop artist, then scoring with the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” then really hitting the big time in movies, where he’s smoothly maneuvered between action-comedy (“Bad Boys”), science fiction extravaganza (“Independence Day”), straight-up drama (“Concussion”), and Oscar nomination territory (“Ali”).

But Smith had never made a Disney film, and in taking on the role of wisecracking, fast-talking, shape-shifting, wish-granting big blue Genie in the live-action remake of the 1992 animated feature “Aladdin,” he got to check off the Disney gig on his list. But with it came the challenge of stepping into the shoes (though we never see Genie’s feet) of Robin Williams, who famously and maniacally provided Genie’s voice and attitude in the original. The verdict: He was very much up to the task. Smith, 50, spoke with great joy about the film earlier this week in Los Angeles.

Q: Was there something different or special about working on a Disney production?

A: Disney magic is real, and there’s something that Walt Disney did in the design of these stories. At the core of them is something that shocks the inner child within you and forces it to come alive and smile and appreciate the moment. Coming into this, it definitely started with fear for me. What Robin Williams did with his character was, he just didn’t leave a lot of room to add to Genie. So, I started off fearful. But then when I got with the music, it just started waking up that fun, childlike, silly part of me. And it was the most joyful experience of my career.

Q: The visual effects in the film are amazing but so is the production design. Were most of the sets real?

A: Yes, and the ultimate compliment [to a production designer] from the actor’s point of view is we were transported to the time and place. And that’s what happened when we walked on that set. It was in the textures of the walls and all of that. And the stairs were real. You could go up and go out onto the rooftop. It was a powerful way to transport the actors into the emotions and the smells of the time and place. It was beautiful.

Q: The look and the actions of your character are incredible. How was Genie created?

A: Genie is 100 percent CGI. People look at it and they think it’s my blue face and it’s my body. But Genie is 100 percent CGI. There is none of me in there. So, it’s like the work [of the effects people] was so good that they don’t even get credit for it. But what happened, what was great for me, is I would just be on set and we would run the scenes and everything and I could do it on set. So, I would improvise there because I knew it wouldn’t necessarily be in the movie. Then we would do the first round of the CGI work. And then we could go again and we could work it. Then [director] Guy Ritchie watched the whole movie, and then I had another chance to go back and we could play with lines and make adjustments. So, for me, there was tons of improv.

Q: You haven’t been in many movies recently. What’s been going on, and what have you been looking for?

A: I took a couple of years off. I guess I had sort of hit a ceiling in my life. I had created the things that I could create in my career. I was getting to the end of my wisdom with leading my family, and I kind of got to a point where I had a bit of a collapse of my life and creations. So, I took a couple of years off, essentially to study. To study and journey spiritually. And “Aladdin” was really my first sort of coming back in and seeing if my heart was even still in this kind of performing. What I discovered is everything starts with, what am I saying to the world? How does this piece contribute to the human family? Can I go around the world with the ideas that the movie represents and can I teach and preach these ideas in good conscience? And “Aladdin” checks all of those boxes. One of the things that I related to in Genie is that the he has shackles. He has these spectacular powers, but he’s shackled. Like he is a prisoner of his spiritual fate. And that is sort of how I felt with Will Smith. I was sort of shackled by Will Smith. And in these last couple of years, I’ve just started finding my freedom, where I’m getting free of Will Smith and I’m getting more comfortable being me. So, “Aladdin” was that first step back out. I’m going out into the world and I have a big voice and people look and people listen. I just want to make sure I’m saying things that improve and contribute to people’s life and growth and joy and evolution.